Inclined railway and water-tobogganing apparatus



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E. J. MORRIS. AINOLINED RAILWAY AND WATER TOBOGGANING APPARATUS. N0. ,536,441. Patented Mar. 26, 1895.

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B. J. MORRIS. v INGLINED RAILWAY AND WATER TOBOGGANING APPARATUS. No. 536,441.

Patented Mar. 26, 1895.

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E. J. MORRIS. INULINED RAILWAY AND WATER TOBOGGANING APPARATUS. No. 536,441. Patented Mar. 26,1895.

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I "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD Jo MoRRIs, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

INCLINED RAILWAY AND WATE R-TOBIOGGANING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536, 441, dated March 26, 1895.

I Applicationfiled December 18, 1894. Serial No. 532,136. (No model.)

inclined way or track down which boat-shaped cars or toboggans are adapted to travel by gravity, is located or erected near a body of waterin such manner that as each car reaches the foot of the incline it is launched and floats forwardly upon the water by the momentum derived from its own descent.

In apparatus of this character it has heretofore been usual to return the boat toboggans to the top of the incline by mechanical devices applied to theincline itself and which act directly upon the toboggans to return them to their starting point.

It is the object of my invention to dispense with all devices for returning the boat toboggans upwardly over the incline, and thereby leave the incline entirely free for descending toboggans, by providing in connection with.

it an elevator mechanism for vertically elevating the toboggans from the level of the water to the top of the said incline, and, in connection with said elevator mechanism a toboggan conveyor adapted to pick the toboggans out .of the water after they have completed their course upon it and to return them to the elevating mechanism to be by it elevated.

Apparatus embodying a good form of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings and herein described, the particular subject-matter claimed as novel being hereinafter definitely specified.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. '2, a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a view in perspective of a form of boat toboggan which I find it convenient to employ; Fig. 4, a transverse, vertical, central, sectional, elevation through the toboggan of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5, a top plan view, similar to Fig. 2, illustratinga modifiedmeans for returning the toboggans fromthe returning conveyor to the elevator.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A represents an inclined track, hill, or railway, of any desired dimensions and preferred character, and located structure, and, in their ascent, to "elevate the said toboggans to the upper level of the inclined track so that upon said level they may be delivered to the toboggan ways.

The elevator mechanism as an entirety'may be of any preferred description and mode of operation, and I confine myself to no special elevator device, although I prefer to employ a plurality of elevating platforms.

' E is what I term the returning-conveyer, the same being a. device by means of which the toboggans after their travel upon, are taken out of the water and conveyed back to the starting point or station at the foot or base of the elevator.

I find it convenient to construct the conveyer as an endless carrier, of, for instance, the link-belt variety, the outer or distant end of which is so placed as to dip into and be below the Water a depth sufficient to make it possible to propel the boat toboggans over or above such portion of its carrying breast as is submerged, in order that in the travel and by the action of said conveyor they may be picked up, so to speak, out of the water. It is, of course, essential that the conveyor should be of sufficient strength and width to support and carry the toboggans, but its means by which it is operated, are not of the essence of the invention.

In the construction represented in Figs. 1

and 2, the inner extremity of the returning length, mechanical construction, and .the

conveyer isaligned and operative in conjunction with a supplemental conveyer or gravity way e, of any desired character, which is in turn operative with aturn-table F adapted to receive and deliver the toboggans one after another to a given elevator chute or way, G,

of any preferred construction, by means of veyer organized to operate directly in connection with the turn-table, or, if desired, directly in connection with a series of switch ways h, being tracks, chutes or conveyers of any desired character, such, for instance, as are typically illustrated in Fig. 5, and which, through appropriate switch points h, are operative to direct the toboggans direct to the particular elevator platforms to which they respectively lead.

1, Figs. 3 and 4, is a typical boat-toboggan of a character which I find it convenient to employ, although I do not restrict myself to any special form of toboggan so long as it is of such character as to be adapted both to travel gravitatively down the inclined railway 4 and to float upon the water. The toboggan represented is conveniently provided with a keel i of such depth as to adapt it to a longitudinal groove or sunken toboggan way, a, Fig. 4, formed in the face of the inclined track or hill, and which serves as a frictional runner to prevent the too rapid descent of the toboggan. I have also shown as applied to the said toboggan guiding and guard rollers 1? adapted to suitable tracks a formed upon the face of the inclined track,and, in connection with i the grooves a, constituting toboggan ways,-

and, if desired, upon the returning conveyer, the turn-table, and the elevator platforms, which serve to. steady the toboggan and aid in its propulsion on the turn-table and platforms. Devices of this character are not, however, of the essence of the invention, which resides in the apparatus as an entirety.

Although the momentum of each toboggan upon its launch upon the water from OK the inclined railway, is calculated to' be suflicient to cause it to travel the length of the lake, and if desired, the same length in return, yet I find it convenient to provide each toboggan with a sculling row-lock i at its stern, in order that an occupant of it may scull and direct it to and upon the foot of the returning conveyer.

Such being adescription of apparatus conveniently embodying my improvements, it will be evident that it possesses many advantageous features and capacities of operation.

Thus, for instance, it will be apparent that it is a very convenient arrangement to have the starting point or station at the base of the elevator, where the toboggans can be conveniently loaded with their passengers while upon the ground level. Thus, also, it is manifest that the apparatus permits of the employment of a large number of toboggans at the same time, for, obviously, the capacity of the elevator structure and the breadth of the in clined railway may be such as the demand may dictate. Thus, moreover, the capacity of the returning conveyer may likewise be in creased by makingit sufficiently wide to convey two or more toboggans abreast, instead of in single file as represented.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim- 1. In an inclined pleasure-railway,in combination with an inclined hill, track, or way, located or erected with its foot near a body of water, and with an elevating apparatus lo,- cated at the head of said hill,a power-actu' ated returning toboggan conveyer extending from the body of water to the foot of said elevating apparatus,.-aud a boat-shaped car or toboggan adapted to be elevated to the upper level of the hill, to gravitate over the surface of said hill into the water, to float on the water to the returning conveyer, and to be returned thereby to the elevating apparatus, substantially as set forth.

2. In an inclined pleasurerailway,-in combination with an inclined hill, track, or way, provided with a plurality of toboggan ways, and erected with its foot near a body of water,and with an elevating apparatus located at the head of said hill, and embodying a plurality of elevating platforms,a poweractuated returning toboggan conveyer extending from the body of water to the foot of the elevating apparatus, and operative in conjunction with the platform of said apparatus,substantially as set forth.

3. In an inclined pleasure-railway,in combination with an inclined hill, track, or Way, located or erected with its foot near a body of water,-and with an elevating apparatus located at the head of said hill, and embodying a plurality of elevatingplatforms,a returning toboggan-conveyer intermediate between the body of water and said elevating apparatus,a turn-table operating in conjunction with said conveyer and with the platforms of said elevating apparatus,and a boat-shaped car or toboggan,-substantially as set forth.

4. In an inclined pleasure-railway,in combi nation with an inclined hill, track, or way, provided with a plurality of toboggan ways, and located or erected with its foot near a body of water,--and with an elevating apparatus located at the head of said hill, and embodying a plurality of elevating platforms respectively operative in connection with given toboggan ways of said hill,a returning toboggan-conveyer intermediate between the body of water and said elevating apparatus,-

IIO

a turn-table operating in conjunction with I said conveyer and with the platforms of said elevating apparatus,and a boat-shaped car or toboggan,-,substantially as set forth.

5. In an inclined pleasure railway,in combination with an inclined hill, traok, or way, the foot of which is submerged'in a body of water,-and with an elevating apparatus located at the head of said hill-,a power-actuated returning toboggan conveyer intermediate between the body of water and said elevating apparatus, and the foot of which is submerged in said body of water,and a boatshaped car or toboggan adapted to be elevated In presence of- J. BONSALL TAYLOR, F. NORMAN DIXON. 

